Hemovigilance network in France: organization and analysis of immediate transfusion incident reports from 1994 to 1998.

Background: Hemovigilance networks have been introduced in several countries to improve knowledge of blood transfusion-related morbidity and mortality. The general organization of the French network and its results from 1994 through March 1999 are presented here.

Study Design And Methods: The hemovigilance network relies on blood transfusion centers and hospital correspondents, who analyze unexpected and untoward blood transfusion-related effects and transmit a Transfusion Incident Report (TIR) to a national database (Transfusion Incident Reports Electronic Data Management [GIFIT]).

The French haemovigilance system.

Haemovigilance is a national system of surveillance and alarm, from blood collection to the follow-up of the recipients, gathering and analysing all untoward effects of blood transfusion in order to correct their cause and prevent recurrence. In France haemovigilance was created by law and notification of transfusion incidents is a legal obligation. The haemovigilance network associates local correspondents in each hospital and blood centre with regional co-ordinators and is centralised by the Agence Française du Sang.

The French haemovigilance system.

Haemovigilance was part of the reform of the French transfusion system. The haemovigilance network is now operational with approximately 4600 transfusion incidents reported annually. Immediate incidents observed within 8 days after transfusion account for 85% of the reports.

[Transfusion incidents related to bacterial contamination: review of the literature and hemovigilance data. For the working group Bacterial incidents of French Blood Agency, scientific advice of Bacthem and the French hemovigilance network].

The impact of transfusion reactions related to bacterial contamination (TRBC) of labile blood products (LBP) was identified in France soon after the implementation of the haemovigilance system. The aims of our communication were: 1) to confront published data on TRBC with available French data; 2) to describe measures implemented in France to prevent TRBC. Bacterial contamination of whole blood at the collection stage is found in 0.